SECTION VI (Sub-section 241) Grassing Article Page 1. Scope of Work 241-1 2. General 241-1 3. Sprigging 241-1 4. Sodding 241-1 thru 241-3 5. Soil Amendments 241-3 6. Non Grassed Areas 241-4 7. Topsoil 241-4 8. Soil Moisture 241-4 9. Maintenance 241-5 10. Measurement and Payment 241-5
GRASSING SUB-SECTION 241 1.0 SCOPE OF WORK The work under this section includes the furnishing of all labor, material, equipment, and supervision required to grade, and install sod and grass in all areas shown on the Contract Drawings or specified herein. 2.0 GENERAL All grassed areas that are disturbed or damaged by the construction operation shall be restored by re-sodding or seeding and mulching after fill has been graded to meet the existing contours. Sod shall be similar to the type of grass in place and shall be fresh, live and well rooted. Areas to be seeded and mulched shall be agreed upon and approved by the Engineer prior to excavation. 2.1. SODDING In graded and scarred areas, a 2-foot wide continuous strip of solid sod shall be placed alongside and parallel to asphalt paving. A 5-foot wide continuos strip of solid sod shall be placed alongside and parallel to culvert/headwalls. 3.0 SPRIGGING Where specified and shown on the plans, after placing the topsoil, the entire area shall be grassed by planting sprigs. St. Augustine grass or other types, as directed by the Engineer, shall be cut into stolons approximately 4 inches long and planted endwise in furrows 2 inches deep. The furrows shall be 8 inches apart and stolons planted 6 inches apart in the furrows. Other methods of planting sprigs that will provide an equal stand of grass may be approved. 4.0 SODDING When called for in the plans and specifications, grass sod shall be furnished of the type specified and areas shall be sodded as indicated. Sod shall be placed in accordance with the ASPA-01 in the areas indicated. Sod that has become dry, moldy or yellow from heating will be rejected. Sod shall be maintained to assure a healthy strand of grass. GRASSING SECTION 241-1
4.1. MATERIAL Sod shall be St. Augustine, Centipede or Bahia to match existing grass type. The sod shall be live, fresh and uninjured at the time of planting. Sod shall be free of weeds and other grasses. Nursery-grown or field-grown sod shall be provided as classified in ASPA- 01. Sod shall be machine cut to a uniform thickness of 1-1/4 inches within a tolerance of ¼ inch, excluding top growth and thatch. The sod shall be free of diseases, nematodes, and soil-borne inspects, undesirable plants, stones larger than 2-inches in any dimension, woody plant roots and other material detrimental to the development of the turf. 4.2. PLACEMENT Sodding shall be incorporated into the project at the earliest practical time in the life of the contract. No sod which has been cut for more than 72 hours shall be used unless specifically authorized by the Engineer after his careful inspection thereof. Any sod which is not planted within 24 hours after cutting shall be stacked in an approved manner and maintained properly moistened, but may be used only with approval of the Engineer. 4.2.1. Sodding shall not be performed when weather and soil conditions are, in the Engineer s opinion, unsuitable for proper results. 4.2.2. The sod shall be placed on the prepared surface, with edges in close contact, and shall be firmly and smoothly embedded by light tamping with appropriate tools or rolled with approved rollers. On slopes greater than 1 vertical to 5 horizontal, sod shall be laid at right angles to slopes. 4.2.3. Where sodding is used in drainage ditches, sod shall be laid at right angles to the flow of water. The setting of the pieces shall be staggered, such as to avoid a continuous seam along the line of flow. Along the edges of such staggered areas the offsets of individual strips shall not exceed 6 inches. In order to prevent erosion caused by vertical edges at the outer limits, the outer pieces shall be tamped so as to produce a featheredge effect. 4.2.4. On areas where the sod may slide, due to height and slope, the sod shall be pegged, with pegs driven through the sod blocks into firm earth at a minimum distance of 2 feet on center with a minimum of 2 anchors per sod section. Sod shall be laid smoothly edge to edge with staggered joints. No gaps larger than 1-inch shall exist between sod joints. Sod anchors shall be as recommended by the sod supplier. Any pieces of sod which, after placing, shows an appearance of extreme dryness shall be removed from the work. GRASSING SECTION 241-2
4-A SEEDING AND MULCHING 4-A.1 Mulch material shall be dry straw or hay of oats, rye, Bermuda or Bahia Grass free of weeds and undesirable grasses. 4-A.2 Seed shall be a mix of Argentine Bahia Grass and either Brown Top Millet or Annual Rye Grass in the following proportions: Mar. 15 to Oct. 14 100 lbs/ac Argentine Bahia with 20 lbs/ac Brown TopMillet.Oct. 15 to Mar. 14 100 lbs/ac Argentine Bahia with 20 lbs/ac Annual Grass. 4-A.3 Argentine Bahia Grass shall have a minimum pure seed content of 95 percent with a minimum germination of 80 percent. Brown Top Millet shall have a minimum pure seed content of 90 percent with a minimum germination of 85 percent. Annual Rye Grass shall have a minimum pure seed content of 95 percent with a minimum germination of 90 percent. 5.0 SOIL AMENDMENTS Soil Amendments shall consist of lime and fertilizer meeting the following requirements. The Contractor shall use either agricultural limestone or marl. Agricultural limestone shall have a minimum calcium carbonate equivalent of 90 percent and shall be ground to such a fineness that at least 90 percent will pass a 10-mesh sieve and at least 50 percent will pass a 60 mesh sieve. Agricultural limestone shall be applied at the rate of 46 pounds per 1000 square feet. Lime shall be incorporated into the soil at the rate of 46 pounds per 1000 square feet to a minimum depth of 4-inches or may be incorporated as part of the tillage operation. Fertilizer shall be commercial grade, free flowing, uniform in composition and conforming to FS O-F-241, Type I, Class 2 and shall bear the manufacturer s guaranteed statement of analysis. Slow-release Fertilizer: Shall consist of slow release nitrogen forms derived from sulfur coated urea (SCU), ureaformaldehyde (UF), plastic or polymer coated prills, or isobutylenediurea (IBDU). Slow-release fertilizer shall consist of a nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium fertilizer analysis having 25% or more but less than 51% of the nitrogen in the slow release form and shall be selected from one of the following grades: 19-4- 9, 12-6-6, or 12-4-8. If 19-4-9 fertilizer is selected for use, it shall be applied at the rate of 9.5 pounds per 1000 square feet; if 12-4-8 or 12-6-6 fertilizer is selected for use, either shall be applied at the rate of 15.3 pounds per 1000 square feet. Fertilizer shall be incorporated into the soil to a minimum depth of 4- inches or may be incorporated as part of the tillage or hydroseeding operation. GRASSING SECTION 241-3
6.0 NON GRASSED AREAS Unless shown on the plans or specified, Grassing will not be required along pipeline locations falling within areas not covered by a stand of grass or other suitable growth at the time of construction. Such areas shall be established and agreed upon by the Engineer prior to excavation. 7.0 TOPSOIL Topsoil shall be distributed uniformly and spread evenly to an average thickness of 4-inches, with a minimum thickness of 3-inches. Topsoil shall be spread so that planting can proceed with little additional soil preparation or additional tillage. Surface irregularities resulting from top-soiling or other operations shall be leveled to prevent depressions. Grade shall be adjusted to assure that planted grade for sod will be 1-inch below adjoining grade of any surfaced area. New surfaces shall be blended into existing areas. Soil compacted by construction equipment or soil on compacted cut slopes of grades shall be pulverized to a minimum depth of 2-inches by disking or plowing before applying topsoil. Topsoil shall be the existing surface soil which has been stripped and stockpiled on the site. Additional topsoil, if required beyond that available from stripping operations, shall be a natural, friable soil representative of productive soils in the vicinity. It shall be obtained from well-drained borrow areas provided by the Contractor and shall be free of any admixture of subsoil, foreign matter, objects larger than one inch in any dimension, toxic substances, and any material or substance that may be harmful to plant growth. The ph range shall be 5.3 to 6.0. Topsoil that does not meet the lower ph limit shall be amended by the addition of lime, at a rate recommended based on soil tests. 8.0 SOIL MOISTURE Seed, sod and sprigs shall be placed only when the soil is moist and in proper condition to induce growth. Adequate soil moisture shall be ensured prior to sodding by spraying water on the area to be sodded and wetting the soil to a minimum depth of 4-inches. Water shall be applied at the rate of 15,000 gallons per acre. Watering of seeded and sodded areas shall begin immediately following grassing with an initial application of 15,000 gallons per acre. A second application of 15,000 gallons per acre to be applied on all areas shall be applied 5 days following the initial application or 5 days following a rainfall of ½-inch or greater. The Contractor shall perform subsequent watering operations as necessary to maintain the visibility of newly grassed areas. Watering operations shall be properly supervised to prevent runoff. The Contractor shall supply all pumps, hoses, pipelines, watering trucks, and sprinkling equipment. All areas damaged by the Contractor s watering operations shall be repaired at the Contractor s own cost. Water shall not contain elements toxic to plant life and shall be of a quality suitable for irrigation. GRASSING SECTION 241-4
9.0 MAINTENANCE The Contractor shall be responsible to see that all planted areas, including seeded, sprigged and solid sodded areas, receive sufficient water and maintenance during the life of this contract or until a satisfactory growth of grass is established acceptable to the Engineer. Maintenance shall include the filling, leveling and repairing of any washed or eroded areas, as may be necessary. 10.0 MEASUREMENT AND PAYMENT The quantities to be paid for under this Section shall be for the following items, completed and accepted as shown in proposal quantities. Sprigging Sodding Seeding Seeding and Mulching GRASSING SECTION 241-5